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Pac-12 announces 2013 soccer Scholar-Athletes of the Year

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - The Pac-12 Conference has named UCLA’s Joe Sofia and ARIZONA STATE’s Jasmine Roth as the men’s and women’s soccer Scholar-Athletes of the Year. These awards have been established to honor collegiate student-athletes that are standouts both academically and in their sports discipline.

Sofia, a senior defender for the Bruins, has played in 82 matches at center back over the span of his four-year career, starting 80 of them. He’s helped lead UCLA to four-consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances, Pac-12 titles in 2011 and 2012, and the 2011 College Cup semifinals. Academically, Sofia has upheld a 3.96 grade point average in communication studies, receiving first-team Pac-12 All-Academic honors the past two years. He was also the first UCLA men’s soccer player to earn first-team Capital One Academic All-America.

Roth, a senior from West Covina, Calif., is a three-time first team Pac-12 All-Academic honoree, maintaining a 4.0 GPA in Biochemistry in the Barrett Honors College at Arizona State. A four-year starting defender for the Sun Devils, Roth was named the team’s defensive most valuable player in 2012 and started 76 out of 78 career games from 2010-13. She was instrumental in helping ASU reach the NCAA tournament two of her fours years on campus.

In order to be eligible for the Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year award, student-athletes must be a senior (in athletics eligibility) on track to receive a degree, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher, participate in at least 50% of the scheduled contests in the sport and have a minimum of one year in residence at the institution. Each Pac-12 institution may nominate one individual per sport, and the winners are selected by a committee of Pac-12 staff members at the conclusion of each sport’s regular season. The athletic accomplishments of the nominees are a consideration in the voting for the award.